Car-coupling.



PATENTBD JAN. 16, 1906.

E. 0. WASHBURN. GAR COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21.1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

a W M M A/ s y z Y w k PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906.

E. 0. WASHBURN.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21.1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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' PATENTBD JAN. 16, 1906.

E. o. WASHBURN.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 211904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- La 1:: mmn l lwNu I M a W A Q w Q \\N W m M a a EDWIN C. WASHBURN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed November 21, 1904. Serial No. 233,565,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN C. WASHBURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Coup lers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to car-couplers of the Master Car-Builders type, and especially to couplers of the type known as the Washburn coupler.

My invention has for its object to improve couplers of the above-noted character in the several particulars hereinafter noted; and it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a view in horizontal section, taken on the line as w of Fig. 2, some parts being left in full. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 90 x of Fig. 1, some parts being left in full. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line :0 00 of Fig. 1, the lock being shown in full; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the lock removed from the coupler.

The numeral 1 indicates the recessed head of the coupler, the same having the usual inengages behind a lug 8 of the coupler-head when the knuckle is closed. In plan view, as

shown in Fig. 1, the tail of the knuckle is straight on its forward edge and on its innermost or peripheral edge it is curved inward toward the lug 7 to form a cam-surface 9. On its under surface the tail of the knuckle is beveled to form a cam-surface 10, that inclines in a direction from the lug 7 toward the straight forward edge of the tail of the knuckle.

The lock pin or dog 1 1 works through both the upper and lower walls of the couplerhead and is free for vertical movement and for a limited rocking movement. When the knuckle is locked by this dog, as shown in Fig. 1, the tail of the knuckle engages with an angular notch 12, formed in the adjacent side of the dog. The other side of the dog is flat and extends in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of the draft-bar 2, and this flat surface is pressed against a flat vertical surface 1 of the coupler-head 1. The extreme downward movement of the lock-dog 11 is limited by a flange 13 on the upper end thereof, and above said flange said dog is provided with a perforate ear 14, that projects forward of the center of gravity of said dog, so that when the said dog is lifted by a connection applied to said ear its lower end will be swung pivotally forward.

' The groove 12 of the dog 11 extends downward to a lower shoulder 15 and to an upper shoulder 16, which shoulders are formed by reducing the cross-section of the body of the.

said dog. The reduced portion 17 of the dog extends from the shoulder 15 downward and terminates in an enlarged head, that is formed with a laterally-offset cam 18 and a rearwardly-projecting cam 19, the purposes of which will appear in the description of the operation. The cam 18 when the dog is raised to an extreme position will engagethe cam-surface 10 of the tail of the knuckle and act thereon to force the knuckle into an open position. The shoulder 15 of the dog is adapted to be rested upon the tail of the knuckle when the dog is raised and tilted forward, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The knuckle-o ening cam 18 is so located that the shoul er 15 may be engaged with the tail of the knuckle to set the lock-dog for uncoupling without bringing the same 18 into action on the tail of the knuckle. This relation of the parts is necessary in order that the lock-dog may be set in releasing position while the knuckles are held against pivotal movement, as is the case when two couplers are coupled.

It is desirable that the lock-dog be withdrawn from the coupler-head in case the coupler-head should be broken from the draft-bar or the draft-bar torn loose the I lines in Fig. 2, and swung forward so that its lower shoulder, 15 will engage and rest upon the upper surface of the tail of the knuckle.

The rear cam 19 of the dog engages with a.

rounded surface 22 of the coupler-head to positively insure the forward swinging move- 5 ment of the lower end of the dog, and hence f the engagement of the shoulder 15 with the tail of the knuckle under the setting movement of the dog above described.

When the knuckle is swung open, the sho'ulder 15 rides upon the tail of the knuckle until the knuckle reaches approximately its eX-Z treme open position, whereupon the dog is dropped sli htly, its lower shoulder 15 passing behind t e cam-surface 9 of the tail of the knuckle and the upper shoulder 16 of said 1 dog then falling onto the upper surface of the tail of the knuckle.

Under the closing movement of the knuckle l the cam-surface 9, acting on the-surface be-; tween the upper and lower shoulders 16 and 15 of the dog, forces the said dog back into a 1 proper vert cal position for locking when; dropped; but the shoulder 16 rides upon the tail of the knuckle until the knuckle reaches 5 its extreme closed position, whereupon the said l0ck-dog is permitted to drop and lock;

the knuckle.

of the coupler-head serves to transmit to the walls of said arm strains which are applied to j the face l 'thro'ugh the dog 11 under draft;

strains.

The said web 4 also serves totransmit to the'face or wall 1 and to the rear wall of the hollow arm 3 any strains which are applied to the forward walls of the said arm. The said web therefore acts as a three-arm strut to distribute strains.

From what has been said it will be understood that the coupler above described is capable of modification within the scope of my invention as herein set forth and claimed; What I claim, and desire to secure by Letlows:

1. A coupler having a draftbar, knuckle I ters Patent of the United States, is as foland lock-dog, with said dog arranged to lift' "movement of the knuckle, substantially as described.

2. A coupler having a draft-bar, knuckle and lock-dog, said dog being arranged to set on the tail of said knuckle, for automatic uncoupling, and having a vertical shouldered surface, and said knuckle having a vertical camsurface acting on the vertical shouldered surface of said dog, to force saiddog back under the closing movement of said knuckle, substantially as descr bed.

3. A car-coupler having'the pivoted knuckle, and a lock-dog, the tail of said knuckle having a vertical cam-surface 9, and said lock-do having an under shoulder 15 and an upper s oulder 16, said shoulder 15 being engageable with the tail of the knuckle to set the dog for uncoupling, and'said cam-surface 9 operating on said dog between said shoulders 15 and 16, to force said dog back and drop said shoulder 16 onto the tail of said knuckle under the closing movement of the knuckle, substantially as described.

4. A coupler having a hollow guard-arm formed with a Y-shaped binder-reinforcing web adapted to carry the tension strain on the guard-arm to the head of the coupler, substantially as described.

5. A coupler having a draft-bar, pivoted knuckle, and vertical-moving lock-dog, said dogbeing arranged to be set on the tail of said knuckle for automatic uncoupling, and being cut away at its back so as to unlock when the coupler is pulled out beyond its normal limit, substantially as described.

6. In a car-coupler, a combination with a coupler-head, of a pivoted knuckle and a 00- operating vertical movable lock-dog, said dog having a shoulder adapted to rest upon the tail of the knuckle when the said dog is The reinforcing-web 4 in the hollow arm 3 raised and swung forward, a cooperatin cam-surface on the dependent tail of sai dog, and on said coupler-head arranged to be engaged and to force said dog forward when the shoulder of said do is raised for engagement with the tail of t e knuckle, substantially as described.

7. A coupler having a knuckle and a vertically-movable lock-dog, which dog is cut away at its back so that the dog will lift into an unlocking position when the coupler-head is torn loose and is arranged to be set on the tail of the knuckle by a forward and upward swinging movement, for automatic uncoupling, and having a cam projection that cooperates with a cam-surface on the tail of said knuckle, to force said knuckle open when said dog is raised above its unlocking position, substantially as described.

8. A coupler having a knuckle and a vertically-movable lock-dog, which dog is cut away at its back so that the dog will-lift into an unlocking position when the coupler-head is torn loose and is arranged to be set on the tail of the knuckle by a forward and upward In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1n presence of tWo Witnesses.

EDWIN O. WASHBURN.

Witnesses H. D. KILGORE, F. D. MERCHANT. 

